An antibiotic therapy known to reduce catheter-related bloodstream infections in haemodialysis patients has been shown for the first time to reduce mortality. [s]Medical Xpress[/s] reports that a [b]Henry Ford Health System[/b] study found that a low-dose ‘lock’ solution of gentamicin/citrate reduced mortality by 68% compared to a solution of heparin, a blood-clotting therapy long considered the standard of care. Additionally, the gentamicin/citrate solution was associated with a 73% reduction in bloodstream infections compared to the heparin treatment. Bloodstream infections are a leading cause of hospitalisation and death in haemodialysis patients. Dr Jerry Yee ,of Henry Ford, says the findings suggest the antibiotic therapy is a potential game-changer for haemodialysis treatment.
[link url=http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-antibiotic-therapy-mortality-percent-hemodialysis.html]Full Medical Xpress report[/link]
[link url=http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/early/2014/06/25/CJN.11291113.abstract]Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology abstract[/link]